Ocean Beach Newport Avenue: New Businesses and Changes in 2026

"In slow motion." That's how OB MainStreet director Denny Knox described the Ocean Beach Pier renewal to Times of San Diego this August. Walk a few hundred feet inland from that pier and the rest of 2026 has moved fast. Two of the oldest names in Ocean Beach announced endings this year and kept operating anyway. One reopened about two months after it said it would close. The other reopened the next day.

The difference comes down to who has to say yes. A shop or a music club can change hands once one buyer, one seller and one lease line up. A 1960s concrete pier needs four regulatory agencies, a nine-figure budget and an environmental report before anyone pours anything. OB's 2026 is that gap playing out block by block.

The Black Found a New Owner Within Weeks

In February, The Black told customers that Kurt Dornbusch, an owner since 1981, planned to retire. Dornbusch told Times of San Diego that the 57-year-old Newport Avenue shop would "permanently close by March 31 or sooner," and customers lined up to buy whatever they could to remember it by.

It didn't stay closed. Times of San Diego later reported that Peter Yaldo took over Dornbusch's lease and bought the business. The OB Rag reported a soft opening on April 6. Yaldo told Times of San Diego he wanted to keep the shop's look while adding beach items, beverages and snacks. Most of the original staff moved on after the sale. The OB Rag's reopening post drew comments from people relieved to see the doors open again.

From announcement to reopening took about two months. Because the lease carried over, the address never changed.

Winstons Reopened the Morning After Its Own Farewell

Winstons, the 198-capacity club at 1921 Bacon Street, followed the same pattern this fall and moved even faster. After a partial ownership change, co-owner Scott Slaga told the Union-Tribune that the venue would rebrand. "The live-music world in general is just a struggle now, and that's kind of the impetus behind the changes," he said.

The plans Slaga described:

• A full-service kitchen, with longer daytime hours
• No more nightly cover charge
• Comedy nights coming back
• New audio and lighting systems
• Local talent, cover bands and tribute groups in place of national touring acts, which cost less to book as touring expenses keep climbing

The "Last Call" party was Saturday, September 26, and the club reopened the next day. Much of the list is still a plan. As of today, the venue's own site still says "Winstons | Beach Club," and no new name has been announced. The October calendar shows the club closed October 6 and 7, then back to its regular lineup, with a "Karaoke + Comedy + Trivia" night set for October 15. Times of San Diego reported that the new lighting was already installed by late September.

There's context for the timing. The Union-Tribune noted the announcement came a month after Brick By Brick in Bay Park closed abruptly in August after 31 years. Instead of closing, the Bacon Street club changed its format and stayed open.

Newport Avenue Swapped Tenants All Summer

The two landmarks fit a broader pattern. From June through September, Newport Avenue and the streets around it turned over one storefront after another, with each space either filling quickly or getting a new announcement.

Axios San Diego confirmed both of the August changes in its monthly openings and closings roundup. The Chula Tacos menu runs to tacos, vampiros, trompo and house-made horchata and jamaica. Owner Rigo Muñoz told San Diego Magazine he plans a fourth location somewhere between OB and Morena. Breakfast Republic's departure was a business decision about one particular space. The OB Rag, summarizing Lori Weisberg's reporting for the Union-Tribune, wrote that the 5,000-square-foot OB space is far larger than the restaurants founder Johan Engman is opening now, and that its second-floor spot is less convenient for customers. No successor tenant had been announced for that space as of our research.

Drink 182 is the one to wait on. San Diego Magazine reported in June that the opening depended on permits and final inspections, and slated it for the second half of July. We haven't found a confirmed opening date since, so it's safer to treat 5049 Newport as coming soon.

The Pier Answers to Four Agencies

The Ocean Beach Pier opened in 1966 as a free public fishing pier. At 1,971 feet, it was the longest concrete pier in the world when it was built. The city closed it in October 2023 because of its deteriorating condition. The city's project page says significant repair isn't feasible, which is why the plan is a renewal.

The Black needed one buyer and a lease. The pier's checklist is much longer. City spokesman Tyler Becker told Times of San Diego the project needs site and coastal development permits, plus separate reviews from the California Coastal Commission, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Regional Water Quality Control Board and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "Each of which involves its own comprehensive review," he said.

Here is the timeline as it stands this fall:

1. 2018. A structural study finds the pier has reached the end of its useful life.
2. 2023. The renewal effort starts with public workshops, and storm damage closes the pier.
3. 2024. The city wraps up outreach and releases a preferred design concept.
4. 2025 to 2026. Environmental review and permitting.
5. Spring 2027. The draft environmental review is expected to go out for public comment.
6. 2028 to 2029, projected. Final design and construction bidding, with construction starting around early 2029.

The spring 2027 date is itself a slip. The city's earlier schedule had the draft environmental review circulating around now, in 2026. Then there's the money. The city's June 2026 timeline puts the total at $170 million to $190 million. So far, $8.4 million in state funding has been designated, and the city is still pursuing other state and federal grants. Becker said the team is also looking at a possible public-private partnership, and that the project "continues to move steadily forward behind the scenes."

The design people have seen is the preferred concept from 2024, as reported by the Union-Tribune. It shows a pier at least 2,000 feet long with two curved arms, shaded seating and viewpoints, room for possible retail, dining and community space, "sunset bleachers" and an "infinity plaza." It's a concept, not a final design. The 2026 timeline Times of San Diego published doesn't start final design documents until 2028 at the earliest.

The Routines on the Calendar

While the pier waits and the storefronts change, a few fixtures on Newport keep their usual dates.

The Ocean Beach Farmers Market runs every Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m. on the 4900 block of Newport, between Cable and Bacon. Most of it is groceries and produce, with a smaller group of artisan and to-go food vendors. The OB MainStreet Association lists temporary ADA parking on the 1800 block of Bacon Street on market days, from 2:30 to 9 p.m. The next market is this Wednesday, October 14. Chula Tacos is now on that same block at 4994 Newport.

OB Oktoberfest took place October 9 and 10, with a larger footprint along the beachfront this year. The next big date is the Ocean Beach Holiday Parade on Saturday, December 5. The Friendly Sons event page lists a pre-parade gathering at Newport and Ebers starting at 3 p.m., staging at 4713 Newport Avenue and a 5 p.m. step-off. The pier at the far end of Newport isn't scheduled to start construction until around early 2029.

If you own a cottage, a building or a mixed-use property near Newport and want to know how this year's changes affect its value, from an inherited lease like The Black's to the storefront turnover in the table above, the Chris Love Team can walk through it with you. Request a personalized home valuation and we'll start with your parcel's story.